Complex information is used in a number of fields. Heretofore, such information has been provided printed in book form. This can result in a number of problems, particular when a user may wish to access information in a number of books concurrently. Typically, each work is indexing separately, and cross-referencing as among a number of works can typically be difficult, particularly when one needs to use information on-site. In addition, it is often difficult to ensure that the information is satisfactorily maintained in updated form
Although information from individual works can often be accessed in electronic form, such as through a personal computer or laptop computer, typically such a computer are difficult to carry and use, and are also relatively expensive. In addition, although updating information as maintained on a computer may be easier than if the information is simply maintained in book (printed) form, such updates typically require a network administrator to ensure that the information has been provided to a particular computer in a timely basis.
The Shah patent describes an information supply and update system by which information in structured form can be disseminated from a central base subsystem to a number of remote user devices such as PDA's (personal digital assistants), paging devices, cellular telephones, smart phones, and/or any other types of devices which may receive information from a remote location and store the information for later display. The information supplied by the information supply and update system is structured, that is, it can include information from a number of works, with various works including a plurality of topics, each including a plurality of sections. The topics and sections, along with indices set up for the various works, allow a user to easily navigate through the respective works, and cross-references allow a user, when he or she is in one work, to find related information in another work.